www.vheadline.com Posted: Monday, March 03, 2003 By: Robert Rudnicki

President Hugo Chavez Frias has aid that those responsible for the bombings at Colombian and Spanish diplomatic offices last week have been identified and it is only a matter of time before arrests are made ... "we have identified them, let them rear their heads and they'll see."

During his weekly Alo Presidente radio show the President said that he had the photos of those responsible, but they were on the run and being hunted by security forces.

The President also announced that a new anti-terrorism squad was being formed to help prevent any similar attacks in the future. 

Both sides of the political divide have blamed each others supporters for the attacks, but until the first arrests are made it is still unclear who was responsible for the attacks.  Colombian officials have carried out separate investigations into the attack on their mission, but the results have not yet been announced.

www.vheadline.com Posted: Monday, March 03, 2003 By: Robert Rudnicki

Organization of American States (OAS) secretary general Cesar Gaviria has expressed his satisfaction at the formation of a National Assembly selection commission whose responsibility will be, amongst other things, the choosing of a new National Electoral College (CNE) board of directors.

The replacement of the previous CNE board is a necessary step in the opposition's push for early general elections or a referendum on President Hugo Chavez Frias' rule.

"This was a very important step, because it is necessary for any electoral solution."

The board's replacement became necessary several weeks ago when the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) ruled that all the CNE's previous decisions were null and void because the eligibility of one of its voting directors was in question because he tendered his resignation several months earlier.

www.vheadline.com Posted: Monday, March 03, 2003 By: Robert Rudnicki

After a ten day postponement, negotiations between the government and the opposition resumed, but facilitator Organization of American States (OAS) secretary general Cesar Gaviria said little progress had been made. 

Talks had been suspended February 18 due to Gaviria's own prior commitments.  They had been scheduled to resume last week, but were again postponed on Wednesday and Thursday following security concerns from government negotiators. 

"We've had a difficult week, we haven't been able to make any advances to a better environment that may permit an electoral, peaceful, constitutional and democratic solution."

www.vheadline.com Posted: Monday, March 03, 2003 By: Robert Rudnicki

According to the Bolivar State division of the Venezuelan Federation of Chambers of Commerce & Industry (Fedecamaras) Senen Torrealba, since the day the national work stoppage began on December 2, the arrest of Fedecamaras national president Carlos Fernandez became inevitable.

"As soon as the strike started, led by Fedecamaras the Confederation of Trade Unions (CTV) and opposition parties, it was evident that its organizers would face the prospects of legal action for the destruction of the economy."

Torrealba's comments came following an enquiry into his position on Fernandez' arrest, and he went on to say that in no way could the Fedecamaras leader's detention be considered as a politically motivated act or part of a governmental persecution campaign, because the strike has had catastrophic effects on the country and its economy, industry and commerce, as well as its population, which in any civilized country would have been considered as terrorism.

www.vheadline.com Posted: Monday, March 03, 2003 By: Robert Rudnicki

Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) has cut its oil production back by 500,000 barrels per day as storage facilities stood at capacity, due to a reduction in recent export levels. According to PDVSA manager Luis Marin, production now stands at 1.6 million barrels per day, down from 2.1 million.

The bottleneck should be resolved this week once tankers that have been contracted by the company arrive to lift export levels.

However, rebel PDVSA executives question these figures, insisting current production to be around 1.1 million barrels per day.

In the run up to the upcoming Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meeting later this month, President Hugo Chavez Frias has said that he feels $30/barrel to be the perfect price for a barrel of petroleum.